Archive for the ‘Rule Changes’ Category

FIA is facing flak from all corners on its haphazard rule change policy mid-season. The latest change is the banning of use of engine electronics and exhaust gases for performance gain. FIA has also told teams that alteration of engine configuration is not allowed between qualifying and the race sessions.

The seemingly haphazard and biased decision has drawn flak from the Red Bull team and supporters, however FIA race director Charlie Whiting dismissed that the decision reeked of any bias. Countering claims he said that its not for the FIA to see if 1 team would be more affected than others in a rule change.

“What we are doing is stopping people breaking the existing rules,” Charlie Whiting said.

“It’s not for us to say whether a certain team would be more penalized than others. It just depends how extreme they are going. But I have certainly seen evidence of maps on a number of teams which are extremely extreme.

“It’s not confined to one team, I can assure you,”

“It’s a bit like the mass damper where its use when it was first introduced by one team was fairly benign when it came to aerodynamics. But the more it got developed, the more extreme the designs were.”

“These things escalate to the point where something has to be done.”

Christian Horner of Redbull was however adamant in his criticism :

“It is slightly confusing with the technical directive that it was not addressed at the end of the year going into next year,” He said.

“Why has it been done midseason?”

Mike Gascoyne of the Lotus team was worried about the costs associated with such a decision :

“We have all spent a lot of money developing something,” Gascoyne said.

“We are always pushing to get an advantage and will obviously implement it if it is within the rules. It is just frustrating it is done in the middle of the season without consultation.”

Ross Brawn of Mercedes however was all for the decision and justified that it was for the good of the sport :

“The protagonists behind raising this issue were threatening to protest the cars and that was the difficulty they had,” Ross Brawn explained.

“If they hadn’t have taken action, then it sounds like some teams were going to protest the situation to get clarity through the stewards and that wouldn’t be very good for Formula One. We want to avoid that at all costs because … it would probably end up in the appeal courts again and that’s no good.”

FIA has been known to pass judgments on various technical issues mid-season. So why are the teams making such a big deal about it this time ? Is it because some teams are seeing their monopoly ending ? Only time will tell if this would rein in the rampaging Red Bulls !

With Bridgestone announcing its decision to not be the sole tyre supplier in the 2011 formula one season, an off track war seems to be brewing for the position of tyre supplier to the FIA with big companies expressing interest. Foremost among these are the Cooper tyre company, Michelin and Pirelli. All 3 companies are said to be in close consultations with the FIA. The actual nature of the negotiations are still unknown and are happening behind close doors.

Cooper Avon is one of the 1st to officially confirm that they are in talks with the FIA.

“As a major motorsport tyre manufacturer Cooper Tire, through its Avon Tyres Motorsport operation, has been approached to supply Formula One,” Cooper Tyres spokesperson was quoted

“The company is in discussion with the relevant parties and cannot comment further at this stage.”

Michelin too has expressed interest to return to formula one and have apparently submitted a technical bid to the FIA on the matter. The French company is rumoured to be lobbying the FIA to accept tyre specs that would suit those being manufactured by Michelin for other sports cars. Michelin are the most recent tyre manufacturer who have participated in formula one apart from Bridgestone.

The Italian company Pirelli too is seriously eyeing a comeback to formula one. They are known more for their stationary items , but apparently their tyres are top class too. In an interview to a F1 magazine the company’s motorsport director Paul Hembury was quoted as saying :

“Nothing is concrete yet, but we understand that with the possibility of 18-inch tyres, and the fact that the commercial reality has changed compared to the previous environment, then F1 is something that we are now looking into.

“We are always in contact, and remain in contact, with the FIA and the F1 promoter – and that is something that continues year on year. We’ve been aware of the ongoing situation in F1 and that is really what has led to our latest situation.”

There are also rumours that the latest tyre situation may force the FIA to give benefits to the tyre companies in order to attract them to formula one, in which case even Bridgestone might want to return to the sport.

After suspending Williams formula one team for submitting their entries for the 2010 formula one season, the FOTA teams officially submitted their entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Havent had time to go over all the details, so posting the official media release from FOTA here.

All FOTA Teams have today submitted conditional entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.

FOTA confirms all its Members’ long-term commitment to be involved in the FIA Formula One World Championship and has unanimously agreed further and significant actions to substantially reduce the costs of competing in the Championship in the next three years, creating a mechanism that will preserve the technological competition and the sporting challenge and, at the same time, facilitate the entry in the F1 Championship for new Teams. These measures are in line with what has been already decided in 2009 within FOTA, achieving important saving on engines and gearboxes.

All FOTA teams have entered the 2010 championship on the basis that:

1) The Concorde Agreement is signed by all parties before 12th June 2009, after which all FOTA teams will commit to competing in Formula One until 2012. The renewal of the Concorde Agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance.

2) The basis of the 2010 regulations will be the current 2009 regulations, amended in accordance with proposals that FOTA has submitted to the FIA.

All FOTA teams’ entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all FOTA teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One Season on an identical regulatory basis and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole.

All FOTA teams now look forward with optimism to collaborating proactively and productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing lasting stability and sound governance.

In an expected action, the FOTA (Formula One Team’s Association) suspended Williams formula one team for registering for the 2010 formula one season as the standoff over budget proposals continues between the FIA and FOTA. Many mainstream teams have threatened to quit formula one if the current plans are executed. Ofcourse in complicated proceedings as such, the fact that Williams F1 team decided to register for the 2010 formula one season make the things more difficult for the teams against the budget cuts.

In an official media statement, the Williams formula one team had said :

Oxford, UK. 27 May, 2009. Following Monday’s confirmation that the team has submitted its formal entry for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Formula One Teams Association has today decided temporarily to suspend Williams F1 from membership of FOTA.

Frank Williams, Team Principal: “FOTA’s decision, although regrettable, is understandable. However, as a racing team and a company whose only business is Formula One, with obligations to our partners and our employees, submitting our entry to next year’s Championship was unquestionable. In addition, we are legally obliged under our contract with FOM and the FIA to participate in the World Championship until the end of 2012.”

Ferrari in an official statement of its website as well as media area threatened to quit formula one and not enter its cars for the 2010 formula one season if the arbitrary rules regarding F1 budget caps were implemented despite its and certain other manufacturer’s protests. In doing so Ferrari has become the third team after Red Bull and Toyota to threaten pullout. An official statement on their website really cements those intentions.

On a personal note, Ferrari have been the team that i fell in love with the first time I saw formula one and are my favorite team

To see Ferrari going out of formula one would be heartbreak. Ferrari has given a lot to the sport of formula one, money, merchandise sales, champions and most importantly millions of fans all around the globe. Hopefully the matter would be sorted out between the 2 parties and scarlet wouldn’t let the world of F1 pale for many more years. Another industry that shall be very adversely affected would be the sports betting industry. I guess most will move over from formula one betting and move onto NASCAR betting for more excitement. Speaking of NASCAR and (losers ?) , a post on Juan Pablo Montoya is due.

On the other hand, it might just be a bluff from Ferrari, but a well played one at that, lets see if the FIA can choose to ignore alleged most powerful team in F1.

The official statement from their media area follows :

FERRARI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVES

THE FIRST QUARTER RESULTS:

TURNOVER 441 MILLION EURO

TRADING PROFIT 54 MILLION EURO

FERRARI CONFIRMS ITS OPPOSITION TO THE NEW

TECHNICAL REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE FIA AND DOES NOT INTEND ENTERING ITS CARS IN THE 2010 F1 CHAMPIONSHIP

Maranello 12 May 2009 – Ferrari’s Board of Directors, chaired by Luca di Montezemolo, today analysed the first quarter results for 2009. Despite the current international economic climate, which has hit the automotive sector in particular, Ferrari’s figures were in line with the record levels reached in 2008.

Turnover for the first three months was 441 million euro compared to 455.7 million euro over the same period in 2008. The first quarter closed with a trading profit of 54 million euro compared to last year’s 59 million euro.

These results reflect the introduction of new models, in particular the success of the Ferrari California and the Scuderia Spider 16M, the constant growth in activities linked to the brand (e-commerce, licensing, merchandising and retail) and the company’s continuing efforts to maximise efficiency.

The Board of Directors also examined developments related to recent decisions taken by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile during an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on 29 April 2009. Although this meeting was originally called only to examine a disciplinary matter, the decisions taken mean that, for the first time ever in Formula 1, the 2010 season will see the introduction of two different sets of regulations based on arbitrary technical rules and economic parameters.

The Board considers that if this is the regulatory framework for Formula 1 in the future, then the reasons underlying Ferrari’s uninterrupted participation in the World Championship over the last 60 years – the only constructor to have taken part ever since its inception in 1950 – would come to a close.

The Board also expressed its disappointment about the methods adopted by the FIA in taking decisions of such a serious nature and its refusal to effectively reach an understanding with constructors and teams. The rules of governance that have contributed to the development of Formula 1 over the last 25 years have been disregarded, as have the binding contractual obligations between Ferrari and the FIA itself regarding the stability of the regulations. The same rules for all teams, stability of regulations, the continuity of the FOTA’s endeavours to methodically and progressively reduce costs, and governance of Formula 1 are the priorities for the future. If these indispensable principles are not respected and if the regulations adopted for 2010 will not change, then Ferrari does not intend to enter its cars in the next Formula 1 World Championship.

Ferrari trusts that its many fans worldwide will understand that this difficult decision is coherent with the Scuderia’s approach to motor sport and to Formula 1 in particular, always seeking to promote its sporting and technical values. The Chairman of the Board of Directors was mandated to evaluate the most suitable ways and methods to protect the company’s interests.